First BitTorrent-Optimized Microprocessor
BitTorrent as a technology continues to overhelm all other peer to peer networks. And here’s another obvious proof: IAdea Corporation, the Taiwan-based licensee of BitTorrent technology, and Star Semiconductor Corporation jointly announces the availability of STR9810/20, the world’s first BitTorrent-optimized microprocessor chip. Until today, most of the BitTorrent downloads are done by software that runs on the PC. The new microprocessor will enable consumer electronics hardware makers to create devices that directly download and play BitTorrent content.
“I remember in the old days people first watched DVDs on the PC, like how BitTorrent is used on the PC today,” says Steven Huang, Chairman and CEO of Star Semiconductor Corporation, the co-developer of the new chip. “Very soon our chip will enable millions of consumer devices to run BitTorrent and help consumers do what they do today on the PC using just a simple remote control.” John C. Wang, CEO of IAdea Corporation continues
“BitTorrent is going to fundamentally advance the Web to its next stage. New digital appliances utilizing our chip work cooperatively to deliver large media files. This new service architecture is infinitely scalable, delivers faster as more users join, and can be built at a fraction of the cost of a traditional server farm.”
The BitTorrent-optimized STR9810/20 microprocessors will be available in Q1 2007. Two versions of the chips are available with various hardware-based acceleration levels. In addition both chips feature an ARM922-based core, network interface and dual USB 2.0 high-speed ports, allowing fast integration with existing embedded consumer products such as wireless routers, NAS, smart HDD enclosures, DVD players, set-top boxes, and DLNA digital media appliances. The chips will be available starting at $8.75 in 1K quantities. Although it’s little hard for me to imagine this in the real world, it sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Comments(20)
Yeah, it sounds and looks good, but I don’t understand the use of this chip for home users… Anyway, Kazaa for life!
Just kidding
hm .. crazy stuff
btw : they need to put this into iphone :p
it’ll we implemented in home NAS-Media Center-etc. solutions so you can “download your favorite movies, and play them right away without the intervention of your pc” – like a leaflet would state…
i just can’t see it working considering there is an easy way of implementing bittorrent download services in such devices already.
Are they also going to make a chip that can unrar files, and play back the xvid files?
whats wrong with running bittorrent on pc?
Waste of time, like limeys, arrogant and cowardly.
what’s bittorrent?
“since the old days of watching dvds in our pcs”
geez guys its been 5 years relax
NO it makes sense. As now the BIG BOYS (film industry) now has a stake in bittorent for download it makes sense. Now you can download anything so long as there is an internet connection and the chip. Cell phone, PDA, portable DVD players… what ever you can think up and make a profit you will see the chip in the device.
Great. This will lift some burden from the CPU, such as parsing super-heavy-complex .torrent-files! Yeah.
I’m already waiting for a chip that parses .sfv-files (not calculates the checksum, just parses the file). This is another really CPU-intensive task. Takes several clock cycles, and we only have a few billion on PC’s (and hundred million on embedded devices) per second.
Nice priority. I’m sure some idiot businessman who only speaks in BS business buzzword terms will find this useful. For the rest of the world? “Nothing to see here, move along”.
I cant see a use for this. Bittorrent isnt very computational heavy and could easily be programmed into whatever kind of ROM memory you wished with existing technology.
Well, Brian Cohen who developed bittorent had made a deal with the movie industry to use his program. As business go, they’ll develope what ever they can to sell. If there a need create it. If there is no need then create develope a need for it through advertisements. It’s the way of the world….. I owe, I owe it’s off to work go…
Lol to the smartasses that think this chip has no use because their CPU is so powerful already. You fail to realize that this chip also can be integrated into a lot of equipment that has little or no processing power at all, like all the stuff already mentioned in the article. Bittorrent has plenty of use outside a PC too.
[...] Releaselog | RLSLOG.net » First BitTorrent-Optimized Microprocessor “the world’s first BitTorrent-optimized microprocessor chip.” [...]
…and this is a giant leap towards locked regulated bittorent content maybe?
This is going to be used for pay-per-download torrents.
I don’t really see this model of business working though, because if I pay for something then I shouldn’t be forced to use my b/w to seed the file so that they can make more money by selling the movie to other users.
Well you can bet that they are not in it to lose money. Were this is a way there is a hacker waiting to hack his or her way through it.
I think this is a great idea.
If someone did make a NAS server with this chip integrated it would safe a lot of electricity, and the PC will have no harm while the NAS server is downloading all your favourite torrents while you sleep or are at work.
This seems like a good idea. I am interested in seeing what consumer devices turn out with this chip embedded with it, and how they will be usefull to me. A good thing to look out for in the future.